Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for February 7, 2013

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for February 7, 2013

Robert A. Hall

Your one-stop-shop for political news and opinion. Please forward to friends who need to be informed. This SitRep (Military for “Situation Report”) is created by many readers who send me items for inclusion, which I would have likely missed or skipped. And I can only spend at most three hours a night pulling stuff, plus the healthcare or economic stuff that crosses my desk at work. As always, I—and you—owe them thanks and appreciation. I post articles because I think they are of interest and will stimulate thought and discussion. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article, or that I was able to verify the information presented, which is the responsibility of the author. I try not to post things that are false, or too far a stretch, regardless of the view point, but I don’t always succeed. As always on the Net, or in the legacy media, you must read critically and with skepticism.

Excerpt: But Garnica allegedly struck the teen in the head several times with a hammer, authorities said. Garnica is accused of stashing her body in the garage until the following day, when Prado gave him gasoline to torch the victim's car, officials said. Garnica then burned Villalpando's remains in a barrel in Prado's backyard, authorities said. (There is no Constitutional right for anyone to own a hammer. While there are millions of peaceful hammer owners who don’t misuse them, if we can save even one child’s life, we must ban all hammers, except for government contractors. No, I’m not making light of this girls grisly [that’s Gris-Ly” not “Griz-Ly,” there’s no “Z” in it] death. I’m mocking those who think violent crime can be solved through making criminals of law abiding gun owners, while not enforcing the laws against felons and misuse of guns very stringently. If it were up to me, I’d tie the three critters to chairs and give hammers to the girl’s friends and family and other volunteers, first come, first served. ~Bob.)

Excerpt: We live in an age of falsity, in which words have lost their meanings and concepts are reinvented as the situation demands. The United States is in a jobless recovery — even if that phrase largely disappeared from the American lexicon about 2004. Good news somehow must follow from a rising unemployment rate, which itself underrepresents the actual percentage of Americans long out of work.

Excerpt: The only approach that will stop women from being assigned to ground combat units is an overwhelming emotional one - that is, parents and grandparents and great grandparents engaging with their elected representatives and making it clear they do not want their daughters, granddaughters, and great granddaughters serving in ground combat.

Excerpt: The government can only raise or lower the tax rate. Whether the actual tax revenues that the government will collect as a result will go up or down is a matter of prophecy. And these prophecies have been far too wrong far too often to base national policies on them.

Excerpt: Senate Democrats are facing a major dilemma on how hard they should push for an assault weapons ban, a sensitive topic for vulnerable centrists who are running for reelection next year. Gun control advocates are scrutinizing Senate Democrats’ strategy for implementing President Obama’s proposals for reducing gun violence, and a watered-down effort would likely prompt a backlash from the party’s liberal base. (They’ll be fine. The media will blame the Republicans and the NRA no matter what happens. ~Bob.)

Excerpt: In the surest sign yet that it is facing significant financial headwinds, the U.S. Postal Service plans to stop delivering mail on Saturdays starting Aug. 1, the agency is set to announce Wednesday. 9there will be a lot of complaints about this on e-mail, Twitter, Facebook…. ~Bob.)

Hagel nomination mocks the Senate and electorate

The Roman Emperor, Caligula, is said to have planned to appoint his horse, Incitatus, as consul. Whether he was indeed insane or whether he was making a political statement, Caligula was expressing supreme contempt for the emasculated Senate. Obama’s appointment of Chuck Hagel, a supremely unqualified political hack, as Secretary of Defense, is his contemptuous mocking of the Senate’s Republican minority. It is an insult to the electorate that expects a Secretary of Defense who at least has a basic grasp of the challenges he will face. In forcing his nomination on the Democrat serf senators, he exposes their fecklessness and unfitness for their offices as independent representatives of the people. Obama’s ploy is to implement his policy of retreat by installing a “mediocrity” as the fall guy. See Bret Stevens on this (http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2013/02/03/can-jewish-groups-speak-out-on-chuck-hagel/).

In the same vein, the failure of the “influential” mainstream Jewish advocacy groups to openly and loudly oppose Hagel’s nomination is equally supine. By trading access to power for principle, the Administration must now regard them with the contempt the polite supplicants have earned. Thrilled to have Obama and his minions purr soothing platitudes at their conclaves, these organizations are silent while these political radicals overturn American interests and imperil national security. This disgraceful episode demolishes the canard that Jewish power is pervasive. Jews in key positions in the White House and Congress have either not tried or have been ineffectual in influencing Obama to nominate a worthy candidate for Secretary of Defense. The Jewish lobbies failed utterly and completely. See Jonathan Tobin for more (http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2013/02/03/can-jewish-groups-speak-out-on-chuck-hagel/). --Cordially, Larry Greenberg

Service?

I become confused when I hear the word Service used with these agencies: Internal Revenue Service. US Postal Service. Telephone Service. Cable TV Service. Civil Service. Federal, State, City, & public Service. Customer Service. This is NOT what I thought 'Service' meant. But today, I overheard two farmers talking, and one of them said he had hired a bull to Service a few cows. BAM!!! It all came into focus. –LLW.

Excerpt: Once an idea sinks its claws into the Liberal mind, it is nearly impossible to change that idea. The mind should be an open courtyard, allowing ideas to confront preconceived notions, and sometimes replace them with new, more refined truths. We are all guilty of stubbornness; but those on the Left are the epitome of intransigence.

Excerpt: The ex-“Ground Zero” imam, his pockets stuffed with donations given to Islamic nonprofits, splurged on a high-flying lifestyle that included expensive trips with a New Jersey gal pal, a stunning new lawsuit charges. The married Feisal Abdul Rauf fleeced the Malaysian government for $3 million and a WestchesterCounty couple for $167,000, according to a lawsuit filed by the couple, businessman Robert Deak and his wife Moshira Soliman. (Show me your shocked face. ~Bob.)

Saudi Cleric, Lecturer At Prophet's Mosque, And Former Dean Of Sharia Faculty At Islamic University At Al-Madina Justifies Killing Of U.S. Ambassador To Libya, Calls For Attacks On Airplanes, Praises Al-Qaeda

Excerpt: Having been exposed, here on The Commentator in January, the group responsible for the now infamous 'Muslim Patrol' videos has been subject to police action, resulting in five arrests last week. Since then, however, a seventh 'Muslim Patrol' video has come to light (see below).

Excerpt: NBC News has gotten its hands on a white paper that’s being used to legitimize the Obama administration’s drone policy, and it’s a… doozy. Short version: members of terrorist groups actively attacking the United States (or our interests) can expect to be shot on sight; and that includes the members of terrorist groups that happen to also be American citizens. And the administration does not have the inclination, and does not feel that it has the need, to particularly clear with anybody their taking the shot if a suitable target hoves into view. (I support Obama’s expansion of the Bush policies he vilified to get elected. But soldiers and Marines have been given courts martial for killing civilians who happened to be around terrorists. ~Bob.)

Excerpt: President Barack Obama today walked away from a roomful of journalists, leaving Jay Carney to evade numerous media questions about the administration’s semi-secret, closed-door process of killing American citizens who are tied to jihad. The numerous questions were prompted by the release late Monday of the administration’s legal brief explaining why it has the legal and presidential authority to kill overseas Americans in al-Qaida, even without a trial or public due process.

Excerpt: The Obama administration claims that the secret judgment of a single "well-informed high level administration official" meets the demands of due process and is sufficient justification to kill an American citizen suspected of working with terrorists. That procedure is entirely secret. Thus it's impossible to know which rules the administration has established to protect due process and to determine how closely those rules are followed. The government needs the approval of a judge to detain a suspected terrorist. To kill one, it need only give itself permission.

Excerpt: The only strike intentionally targeting a U.S. citizen, a 2011 attack that killed al-Qaeda operative Anwar al-Awlaki, was carried out in part by CIA drones flown from a secret base in Saudi Arabia. … The Washington Post had refrained from disclosing the specific location at the request of the administration, which cited concern that exposing the facility would undermine operations against an al-Qaeda affiliate regarded as the network’s most potent threat to the United States, as well as potentially damage counterterrorism collaboration with Saudi Arabia. (I’m sure they would have shown the same restraint with a request from the Bush administration! ~Bob.)

Hagel’s lack of support for new F-16 jet sales to Taiwan could hold up nomination. By Bill Gertz

Excerpt: Former Sen. Chuck Hagel is facing a new obstacle in his bid to be confirmed as the next secretary of defense: Sales of new F-16 jets to Taiwan. Minority Whip Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, where the Lockheed Martin F-16s are built, is considering a hold on the nomination.

Excerpt: The Republican-led House passed legislation Wednesday that would force President Obama to estimate when the federal budget will balance again — and outline the steps he proposes to eliminate the budget deficit. (How did the song go? “Until the twelfth of never…” Obama’s answer will be when they vote to tax “the rich” another trillion dollars a year. ~Bob.)

Excerpt: Put on your shocked faces: Since my bipartisan call last week for Democratic women to join the Ladies Against Sen. Sleaze-Bob movement, not a single Democratic woman in Washington has signed up. Here’s the thing. The brewing scandal involving Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is not just a “sex scandal.” It’s a crony-corruption scandal of sordid, soap-operatic proportions.

Excerpt: As the federal government moves forward to implement President Obama's Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services is slated to spend millions of dollars promoting the unpopular legislation. In the face of this publicity blitz, it is worth remembering that the law was originally sold largely on four grounds—all of which have become increasingly implausible.

Excerpt: First it was Jon Lovett, who left his White House job as speech writer to go to Hollywood to help create the "comedy" 1600 Penn. Now, it's lead speech writer Jon Favreau, who is considering "trying his hand at another form of drama — as a screenwriter, perhaps in Los Angeles," according to the Los Angeles Times. Former White House advisor David Plouffe tells the paper that Favreau's four years at the White House will help him. "He can write comedy, history, drama, suspense," Plouffe tells the paper. (Well, Hollywood gave so much to Obama, at least he’s giving back. Probably will do splatter moves while his old boss worries about violence. ~Bob.)

Excerpt: The announcement could force the European Union to reconsider designating the Lebanon-based group as a terrorist organization and cracking down on its fund-raising. That would upend Europe’s policy of quiet tolerance of the group, which, in addition to operating schools and social services, is an influential force in Middle East politics, considers Israel an enemy and has extensive links with Iran.

Excerpt: A leading opponent of Tunisia's Islamist-led government was assassinated in front of his home Wednesday, raising fears of sharpening political turmoil in the country that ignited the Arab Spring movement but remains starkly divided between liberals and Islamists.

Excerpt: A gunman tried to shoot a Danish writer and prominent critic of Islam on Tuesday, but missed and fled after a scuffle with his intended victim, police and the writer said. (If you say Muslims are violent, we will kill you, Allah willing. And to any Jihadists reading this, you are welcome to come try. I live in a heavily fortified home in the hills of New Mexico. ~Bob.)

Excerpt: A woman who accused Somalia's security forces of rape has been given a year jail term for making a false accusation and insulting a government body. (She got off light. Under Shari’a Law, a rape victim who cannot produce four male Muslims as witnesses can, and has been, stoned to death for committing adultery. This is the real war on Women. ~Bob.)

U.S. Job Creation Index Dips to 11-Month Low in January: Federal and nongovernment hiring falter most in recent months

Excerpt: Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee received the results of a national poll last week that indicates support for Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense collapses when voters are aware his positions on the issues, Breitbart News has learned. The poll was conducted prior to the hearing on Jan. 31, when the former Republican senator struggled to answer questions about his positions on a range of defense-related issues.

Special Forces Chief: Everything Done in Marxist Insurgency Are Being Done in Obama's America Today (Video)

Excerpt: Lieutenant General William G. “Jerry” Boykin (retired) was the United States Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. He has played a role in almost every recent major American military operation over the past four decades, serving in Grenada, Somalia, and Iraq.

Excerpt: "I must go to college!" insists eight-year-old Pierre William. Such planning may seem unusual in a second grader. But Pierre is lucky. He's attending a private school in the District of Columbia using funds from the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. That's opened his eyes to the possibilities that only a college education can provide.

Excerpt: As part of his pitch urging the nation to enact his gun control proposals, the president referred to the tragedy of Newtown, Conn. in the same sentence as he talked about violence “in places like Chicago or Philadelphia or Minneapolis.” But as the president must realize, the causes of the horrific event at Sandy Hook Elementary had little in common with the unending cycle of killings in places like Chicago or Philadelphia or Minneapolis.

Excerpt: The road to the World Cup begins in earnest for the United States on Wednesday in an environment that, at least on paper, could scarcely be more hostile. According to the U.S. State Department and reports from humanitarian groups, San Pedro Sula, the second biggest city in Honduras, is the most violent place on earth.

Excerpt: Americans seem surprised that the February 1 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, was carried out not by Islamists but by a Marxist—specifically, by a member of the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front, or DHKP/C. But no one in Turkey was remotely surprised.

Excerpt: Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation Tuesday that would require California gun owners to buy liability insurance to cover damages or injuries caused by their weapons. Similar bills have been introduced in other states after the Newtown, Conn., school massacre. They include Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York.

Excerpt: First, almost everybody on the left believes in a defined benefit approach to health care. My approach centers on defined contributions. Suppose you live in Britain and your kidneys give out. The British socialists created a health care system that promises to meet all your health care needs, but it may not always deliver. Britain has one of the lowest dialysis rates in all of Europe. In the United States we also take a defined benefit approach to kidney care and we actually deliver. Even if you are 80 years old and dying of cancer you can get dialysis and maybe even a kidney transplant — all courtesy of Uncle Sam. But it would be impossible to provide all health care that way. ObamaCare is an example of a defined contribution approach. The law will eventually lay out in specific detail all manner of health care people are entitled to receive — often with no deductible or copayment.

Excerpt: As a nation whose growing economic dominance has captured headlines, socialist China has increasingly opened its doors to trade. However, while China's political structure may be communist, its economy is based firmly on capitalist principles, say Ronald Coase, a Nobel laureate and the Clifton R. Musser Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Chicago Law School, and Ning Wang, an assistant professor at the School of Politics and Global Studies at ArizonaStateUniversity.

Excerpt: FirstLutheranChurch of CarsonSchool in Carson, California, is closing after parents discovered alleged sexual activity between the 4- and 5-year-olds students, reports ABC News. (Another example of the PC-mongering, depth of the depravity and lack of morals in our society. –JB)